Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Mendelssohn - Symphonies 1 & 2 etc. - Dohnanyi, Vienna PO

Christoph von Dohnanyi and the Vienna Philharmonic truly deliver fantastic readings of these two lesser known symphonies by Felix Mendelssohn. The Vienna Philharmonic (as always) is well balanced, very transparent, and well rehearsed; they play incisively and with total conviction. Dohnanyi conducts the symphonies tightly, and that taught quality makes these recordings very exciting. My only complaint would be that, at times, the orchestra sounds a bit small. Still, overall, a wonderful compilation by London Decca.--Amazon

This CD wasn't totally good. There were several instances where Dohnanyi's penchant for speed annoyed me, particularly in the trio of the Minuet of the first symphony, which lost a lot of its "mystical" quality in this recording. This is minor, however, when one takes into account the clarity and power of this interpretation. Of particular note is the almost explosive accent Dohnanyi gets from the VPO in many spots--the end of the first movement of the First symphony, for example, comes off with almost hammerblow-style anger, where before it was a fairly normal conclusion. (Speaking of conclusions, you can hear EVERY instrument in the last movement of the First, including brass and winds... I've only ever heard the strings being prominent there!) As well, the end of the second symphony ("Lobe dem Herrn!") is so glorious that I have to play it ten or twelve consecutive times every time I listen to that particular movement. Overall, while these symphonies seem a little choppy at times, that's a small price to pay for accurate tempi, a solid musical interpretation, and an energy that brings them to life.--Amazon

LinkWithin

Search This Blog

About Me

A warm welcome to all fellow classical music enthusiasts.The purpose of my blogs is two-fold...to give back to the community who has helped me so much over the years and provide info to my radio listeners. Thank you both and thank you 1.FM for your continued support. All of the cd's you find here are the latest additions to the web radio and are broadcast or will be in the near future. I want to encourage every visitor to buy the cd's and support the artists. Thank you for visiting my blog and please listen to my radio whilst browsing. Contributions and suggestions/opinions are most welcome. Happy listening!